By the time I saw it Brokeback Mountain had almost assumed the status of myth: The first "gay" movie to play well to the supposedly straight, and blue, American suburbs. The first "gay-themed" move to win an Academy Award for Best Picture; that was the anticipation anyway; now we know better. Judging by the overwhelmingly positive and positively gushing user comments on IMDB and the huge number of web sites (just do a google search) devoted to the film, Brokeback Mountain has definitely been attributed the status of myth in the mind of its fans, maybe even moreso than a geeky fan-driven series like The Lord of the Rings. People have been taking this movie very seriously.

As a result I came at it rather cautiously and honestly expected not like it. I'm not really a big fan of Ang Lee as a director. I respect his taste but except for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon most of his movies leave me rather cool. On the other hand, I have always thought that Heath Ledger could be a great actor, judging from his small but explosive role in Monster's Ball. Jake Gyllenhaal has certainly improved since October Sky but he still has a tendency to drift in concentration away from his character; he doesn't seem to be always in the moment. Luckily for him, Heath Ledger's immersion in the character of Ennis Del Mar is never in doubt. In fact, Ledger's performance anchors this picture - making Lee's sometimes indifferent direction irrelevant - and all the performances in the film refer, and defer, to his - even the camera does - and as a result, Gyllenhaal finds a focus too powerful and demanding for him to ignore, even for a second; and of course that actorly focus perfectly marries with his character's commitment to Ledger's, ironically encapsulated with "I wish I could quit you," perhaps the film's most anguished line. Jake is talented but young; Ledger's self-possession and restraint allows him to shine here. I don't think Ledger hits a single false emotional note. And despite the award going to a more than worthy Phillip Seymour Hoffman (personally I think he gave better performances in Magnolia, Boogie Nights and Happiness, but especially as Lester Bangs in Almost Famous, all at least 6 years ago.) I believe time will reveal Ennis Del Mar as the truly mythic character that movie-goers and film-lovers will remember. His walk away from Jack Twist as Jack watches him in his side-mirror, Ennis's crushed body language telling you everything you need to know about that character's feelings at that moment. Jack can't forget him - his great unrequited happiness, requited love - hunkered down and moving on under the confinement of the closet. I won't forget that sight or that performance either; nor, I suspect, will you.